Tell a friend about this book...

This story of a mouse who gets swept away from his beloved wife is truly a timeless classic about life?s simple pleasures. Accustomed to a life of leisure, gentlemanly Abel must be resourceful to survive after he finds himself stranded on a remote island. Black-and-white illustrations. — Abel's place in his familiar, mouse world has always been s... more »ecure; he had an allowance from his mother, a comfortable home, and a lovely wife, Amanda. But one stormy August day, furious flood waters carry him off and dump him on an uninhabited island. Despite his determination and stubborn resourcefulness -- he tried crossing the river with boats and ropes and even on stepping-stones -- Abel can't find a way to get back home.

Days, then weeks and months, pass. Slowly, his soft habits disappear as he forages for food, fashions a warm nest in a hollow log, models clay statues of his family for company, and continues to brood on the problem of how to get across the river -- and home.

Abel's time on the island brings him a new understanding of the world he's separated from. Faced with the daily adventure of survival in his solitary, somewhat hostile domain, he is moved to reexamine the easy way of life he had always accepted and discovers skills and talents in himself that hold promise of a more meaningful life, if and when he should finally return to Mossville and his dear Amanda again.

A Newbery Honor Book and an ALA (American Library Association) Notable Children's Book.« less